


Holy memories

by Lumeha



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Blue Lions route but could be Golden Deer route honestly, Gen, I had this idea since I realized what crest the Aegir house bear, I hope Ferdie isn't OoC but I feel like he needs a moment of hard conflicting feelings okay, M/M, Seteth catch Ferdinand in a moment of weakness, also, and I was v sad Ferdie doesn't have a support with Seteth, and they start to talk, no beta we die like men, spoilers about Seteth identity and all that jazz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 08:21:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20386618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumeha/pseuds/Lumeha
Summary: Ferdinand stood at the feet of Saint Cichol's statue, hoping to fight the storm of feelings in his heart. Enbarr was on the horizon, and with it the promise of a battle against Edelgard and Hubert.It was there that Seteth found him.





	Holy memories

Ferdinand stood at the feet of Saint Cichol’s statue, his eyes far away from the polished stone and its delicate gold. A heavy and nervous energy had possessed every last one of the soldiers of the army, close as they were to Enbarr, and it had not left his heart alone. They understood, he thought, even if they did not understand the depth of conflict that wrecked his mind. They weren’t many of the Empire to have defected to Garreg Mach, to have followed the tide against the tempest of war raised by Edelgard, and none had the ties he had. 

Tears blurred his vision and he wiped them with his palm, pressing against his eyes. Far was the optimistic and always bright Ferdinand, tonight. Far would he be, tomorrow, when they were going to march on Enbarr, ready to strike in its streets and its palace. 

“How hard was it to fight against a man you fought next to ?” he wondered, gazing at the undisturbed eyes of stone. 

“Harder than it sounds, and easier at the same time, especially when the truth was embellished by time”, a voice answered behind him, and he jumped. 

Seteth was looking at the statue, his hands clasped behind his back. His usual stern expression was open and melancholic, and Ferdinand could not help but wonder. Linhardt, one night, tired and worried, his head on his lap, was trying to distract himself from the battles to come and had told him of his readings on Cethleann, Cichol, and the strangeness of Flayn and her crest. 

“Seteth ! I did not hear you come in…”

“Ingrid asked me to make sure you ate.” 

A soft sigh escaped his lips. His stomach was a mess of knots and nausea. He knew that he should force himself to eat and to sleep, but the lonely silence of the cathedral had felt more comfortable. He always wondered about the Saint whose blood was coursing through his veins, of his story, his fights, and how he carried his heart in the face of war. 

“I can’t, not tonight. I just…”

“You are worried to face Edelgard and Hubert. It is understandable.”

Ferdinand’s throat closed. Thinking about the both of them brought tears to his eyes again and he cursed his treacherous heart. He had known, the moment Edelgard revealed herself as the Flame Emperor, that they would no longer walk the same path. If he had never changed house, if he had not been there, maybe he would have been a coward, refused to put a target on his back, refused to fight for what he thought was right. 

He had known, he had known that his treacherous heart would never be satisfied. Loving the shadow of an emperor could only lead to pain. Even in the past, he had known that it would only lead to heartache, Hubert’s devotion entirely given to Edelgard, heart, body and soul sharpened to be the blade she needed to support her ideals. 

War turned the dull pain of a future he knew he would not have into the open wound of knowing he would face a man he loved and a woman he thought a friend in a battle to death. 

“Did it ever happen to you, Seteth ?”

“I have not faced such a situation. But I have seen it happen to people I loved and cared for.”

The man approached him and put a hand on his trembling shoulder. Silent sobs were shaking his body and he felt ashamed for being so open to a man whose loyalties were stronger than steel. But his warmth was comforting. 

“You do not have to face them yourself.”

“I feel like I have to do it. For them. For me. Or I would be a coward,” Ferdinand said, his voice low. 

“Do you remember the story of Heike von Aegir, the founder of your house ?”

Ferdinand wiped his tears, his face red from his cries, and raised his head to look at Seteth, confused. But the man was not looking at him, his eyes locked into the stone eyes of Saint Cichol, lost into memories. 

“Some of Nemesis’ allies were people they knew and loved. Despite their determination, despite knowing in their heart that they were in the right to fight with Seiros and the Emperor, the pain never left when they faced someone they knew and loved.”

“They carried them in their heart long after all were gone in bloody battles, and they taught their son to do the same.”

“I think it is a lesson we forgot”, he sighed. “And I wish we did not have to re-learn it.”

Seteth lowered his gaze and smiled at him, a strange nostalgia on his lips. Ferdinand could not help but answer to that smile. It hurt, and it would hurt again, thinking of a past not so far away in which he was much more innocent. 

But the words resonated in his mind again, the knowledge of a past so far away and the longing echoing in the deep voice, and he remembered the sleepy musings of Linhardt. He blinked.

“Seteth, you speak of this as if…” he started, not sure how to put the blurry thoughts through his mouth, his tone unsure. 

“Maybe you are not on the side of the Empire, Ferdinand”, Seteth said, ignoring his musings. “And you fight for what you think is right. That does not mean you have to reject your feelings.”

“Seteth.”

“Yes ?”

“... Maybe you could tell me more about the founder of house Aegir, one day. If we survive this.”

“Maybe I could, yes. They were someone with a beautiful heart. I will be glad to tell you more about what I know.” 

**Author's Note:**

> If you wanna talk FE to me, you can catch me at @LumehaAsh on twitter or at http://lumeha.tumblr.com  
Because I have emotions and feelings about Three Houses (and other FEs okay)


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